Feline dental resorptive lesions in the 13th to 14th centuries

Abstract

The Schild excavation (1971-1975) unearthed 1871 feline bones from at least 181 cats from the town market in medieval Schleswig-Gottorf. Seven of the 189 mandibles and one of the 126 skulls were investigated using a combination of macroscopic, radiographic, and histologic examinations as well as Knoop hardness measurements. The preliminary results of examinations of three mandibles and one skull are presented and reveal that feline dental resorptive lesions were present in cats that lived in a settlement period dating from the 13th and 14th centuries in former Schleswig, Germany.